St. Francis Children's Counseling Center is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. The Children's Counseling Center staff is committed to healing, and restoring the dignity, trust and self-esteem of abused children and their families. Individual therapy, group counseling and parenting education are provided at St. Francis Medical Center's main campus and St. Francis Huntington Park Clinic. Child abuse prevention education is offered to students, parents and educators throughout Southeast Los Angeles.
Services are provided regardless of a family's ability to pay for needed care:
- Professionally trained and licensed psychologists, family therapists and social workers provide counseling services
- Children and families are treated with a culturally sensitive, multi-ethnic and bilingual perspective
- Individual therapy for children incorporates "play therapy" and "sand play" modalities
- Specialized counseling groups have been developed for boys and girls, addressing physical and sexual abuse, anger management, and behavioral problems
- Parenting education programs are offered in both English and Spanish.
- Child abuse prevention education presentations are especially designed for adolescent students, educators, parents and mental health professionals.
- Grants and individual contributors fund the Children's Counseling Center.
- Each year The Children's Circle leads a community-wide Christmas gift gathering for the hundreds of abused and neglected children being cared for at The Children's Center.